Remembering Fr. Kevin

Born • August 3, 1940 Professed • June 7, 1997 Ordained • June 1, 2001 Died • June 12, 2015

• Requiescat in Pace •

Fr. Kevin (James) Bachmann, O.S.B., a monk of Holy Cross Abbey, Cañon City, Colo., died at St. Benedict’s Abbey on June 12, 2015, after a long battle with cancer. Fr. Kevin was born in Yonkers, N.Y., on August 3, 1940, the son of Charles F. Bachmann and Helen (McGlynn) Bachmann. He received his initial education in Newton, Mass., and then went on to Georgetown University where he earned B.A. and M.A degrees in Spanish and a Ph.D. in Linguistics in 1970, He had been married in 1965 to Rosita Torregrosa and they were the parents of two children; however, the marriage was dissolved and annulled in 1994.

Fr. Kevin had distinctive work experience before entering monastic life. He taught English in Santiago, Dominican Republic; was Assistant Professor of English in charge of a Master’s program for teachers of English as a second language at Colorado State University; was a financial planner, a real estate agent, and a deputy sheriff assigned to the corrections center at Fort Collins, Colo.; was Assistant Professor of Hispanic Studies at the University of Northern Colorado; and, taught English as a second language in Saudi Arabia at the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals.

Fr. Kevin entered the novitiate at Holy Cross Abbey in 1996 and professed vows on June 7, 1997. After completing the theology program at Saint Vincent Archabbey Seminary and earning a Master of Divinity Degree, he was ordained to the priesthood on June 1, 2001. One of his dreams, following his long experience in the field of education, was to initiate and operate a middle school program on the Holy Cross Abbey property. However, a year later, following the opening of the school, he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma.

While under treatment for cancer, Fr. Kevin was able to minister in several parishes in the Pueblo Diocese in Colorado. In 2010, when he was no longer able to serve in ministry due to his illness, and since Holy Cross Abbey was in the process of closing, he accepted an invitation from the monks of St. Benedict’s Abbey in Atchison, Kansas, to reside as a guest in their health care center at the Abbey.

Fr. Kevin is survived by his daughter, Rosita Maria (Bachmann) Torres, his son, James H. Bachmann, and by the monks of Holy Cross Abbey and St. Benedict’s Abbey.

We commend our brother, Fr. Kevin, to your prayers.

Fr. Kevin worked, for a time, as a professor of English in the Dominican Republic.

Fr. Kevin after his ordination in 2001 with his daughter. Seated behind are the Hermanas Josefinas who prepared meals for the monks of Holy Cross Abbey in Cañon City, Colo.

an inspirationby Rosita Torres, Daughter of Fr. Kevin pictured with Fr. Kevin at right

On a stormy Sunday last summer, in Atchison, Kansas, I visited my Dad. I stopped by the Gift Shop where Tom shared with me the story of St. Benedict and I selected a few crosses that spoke to me. An Oblate of St. Benedict’s Abbey handcrafted the crosses, which warmed my heart, as this purchase was a memento of my Father’s care here at St. Benedict’s Abbey.

I asked my Father to make the final selection. He chose the cross made from reclaimed wood and told me that it reminded him of the beautiful barns he would pass weekly on the way to Heartland Hospital in St. Joseph, Mo. Unbeknownst to him, I was affected by the same notion. Driving in and around Atchison, the barns, new and old, some weathered yet distinguished, lifted my spirit. After the purchase, I asked my Father to bless the cross and he did so with these words, “To my daughter and son-in-law, may this cross be an inspiration to your life.”

I suspect that you have heard similar sentiments before. When your father, a priest, says these words to you, it’s difficult not to be overcome by emotion. At the heart of his words was a philosophy that he lived by as far back as I can ever remember.

What I want to share with you was how my Father embodied his words. If you interacted with Fr. Kevin, I trust he inspired you the same way. Like many Dads of his generation, he bounced his daughter on this knee and sang her “Yankee Doodle Dandy.” He played catch with his son. He graded our homework. He was a University Professor, so suffice to say, I passed my classes with honors and I went on to earn a graduate degree. My Dad served as an advisor to my husband, a confidant to my brother, and a sounding board for his brother, Steve. He was my Mom’s number one fan.

My Dad would call me on Sundays and we would recall the week’s events. He dispensed advice; I listened to most of it. He helped me purchase my first home, and he visited every year to relax and enjoy with my husband and me.

We followed his journey from Holy Cross Abbey, to St. Vincent Seminary where he earned a Master’s in Divinity, and back to Pueblo, Colo., where he was a parish priest and subsequently retired. He was then graciously accepted at St. Benedict’s. Abbot James, then Father James, and Father Maurice embarked on the 600-mile two-car caravan from Colorado to Kansas with my Dad’s humble possessions.

And for more than 10 years, my father chose to fight the battle of cancer. He wanted to be an inspiration to fellow patients in his Multiple Myeloma support group, he wanted to be an inspiration to his religious fellowship, and ultimately he wanted to be an inspiration to his family.

So I leave you with these words…. Be an inspiration.